Crock Pot Pot Luck

It's hard to complain about a Rick Bayless recipe, especially a crock pot ready one. With friends coming over last night and the house to clean before, a tidy slow cooker recipe would help the house stay clean and make time for all my chores. Our friends decided to bring beans and salad. I decided to round out the menu with cilantro rice (easily steamed in the rice cooker and then tossed -- right in the cooker -- with a blender pureed mix of lime juice (2TB), cilantro (1/2 cup), olive oil (1 TB) and garlic -- 2 cloves), guacamole, and some version of crock pot tacos.
Searching through my files and various internet sites I came across a Rick Bayless recipe for Tinga, a meaty Mexican stew, that the Chicago chef cooks in a crock pot -- Eureka! Rick browns his meat first but I found several versions (here's one) of the recipe -- all with rave reviews -- that simply layer the ingredients and turn the slow cooker to high. Sold.
The resulting stew had an unbeatable smoky, spicy flavor just right for warm corn tortillas, pickled red onions (a real flavor explosion smoky stew and sweet pickles), and a sprinkle of fresh cheese.
A big hit and super easy -- this recipe is a keeper!